The Postal Service™ is ready for peak season 2022. Our employees are hard at work in anticipation of the holiday season, which is our busiest time of the year. Here are some important details to help you prepare for your holiday mailings.
Holiday Stamps
The Postal Service offers a wide variety of contemporary and religious stamps for the holidays. Customers may purchase these stamps at Post Office™ locations or online at usps.com/shop. New stamps this year include:
n Holiday Elves.
n Snowy Beauty.
n Hanukkah.
n Virgin and Child.
n Kwanzaa.
Holiday stamps from previous years are also available. As a reminder, the cost of a Forever® stamp increased in July from 58 cents to 60 cents.
Self-Service Kiosks
Post Office lobbies can be very busy during the holiday season. Skip waiting in line and go directly to a fully-automated, self-service kiosk with touch-screen. Typically placed in Post Office lobbies to provide customers with a convenient alternative to the full-service counter, Post Office kiosks offer customers a wide range of services:
n Choose a faster or more affordable shipping option.
n Weigh letters, flats, and parcels up to 70 pounds.
n Purchase variable-rate postage in any denomination for Priority Mail Express®, Priority Mail®, First-Class Mail®, and USPS Retail Ground® services.
n Purchase USPS Delivery Confirmation®, Signature Confirmation™, Insurance, Certified Mail®, and Return Receipt™ services.
n Print Priority Mail Express forms.
n Look up a ZIP Code™.
n Purchase postage.
n Renew your PO Box™.
n Pay with a debit, credit, or EBT card.
n Print a receipt with the USPS Tracking® number.
2022 Holiday Mail-By Dates
Domestic Services
The Postal Service recommends customers in the United States mail greetings and gifts no later than the dates shown in the table for expected delivery by December 25 to domestic, international, and Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses.* For the complete list of mailing and shipping deadlines, go to usps.com/holidaynews.
Note: There is a temporary price increase in effect for all retail and commercial domestic competitive parcels: Priority Mail Express (PME®), Priority Mail (PM®), First-Class Package Service (FCPS®), Parcel Select®, USPS Retail Ground, and Parcel Return Service. International products are unaffected. The temporary rates went into effect October 2, 2022, at 12 a.m. Central and remain in place until January 22, 2023, at 12 a.m. Central. For more information, visit about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0810-usps-announces-proposed-temporary-rate-adjustments.htm.
International Services
We advise customers mailing internationally during the holidays to review the International Services chart for specific deadlines based on the locations they are mailing to and the service they are using. When mailing and shipping internationally, customers must also follow the necessary customs guidelines. For more information, visit the International Shipping page at usps.com/international/preparing-international-shipments.htm.
Military Mail
To send packages to loved ones serving in the military abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of $20.95 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate® box. The price includes a $1.50 per box discount and the temporary price adjustment for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO destinations worldwide.
Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes are available at no cost at Post Office locations nationwide or can be ordered online at usps.com/freeboxes**. Customers may print postage, labels, and customs forms online anytime using the Click-N-Ship® feature usps.com/ship***.
To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by December 25, 2022, the Postal Service recommends that you send cards and packages to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed in the following table*:
Military Care Kit
The Postal Service has created a free Military Care Kit based on the items most frequently requested by military families. The kit contains:
1. Two APO/FPO/DPO Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes,
2. Two Medium Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes,
3. Priority Mail tape,
4. Priority Mail address labels, and
5. Appropriate customs forms.
To order the kit, call 800-610-8734. You can find guidelines for packing, addressing, and shipping items to U.S. troops at usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-dpo.htm. To order Priority Mail Flat-Rate boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo, go to usps.com/freeboxes.***
Addressing the Package
Use the following directions to properly address your military mail package:
n Write out the service member’s full name.
n Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code™ (if one is assigned).
For example:
Army/Air Post Office (APO)
COL MELANIE DOE
PSC 3 BOX 4120
APO AE 09021
Fleet Post Office (FPO)
SEAMAN JOSEPH SMITH
UNIT 100100 BOX 4120
FPO AP 96691
Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)
JOHN DOE
UNIT 8400 BOX 0000
DPO AE 09498-0048
n Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address.
n Include a return address.
n Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit.
Busiest Mailing and Delivery Days
The Postal Service’s busiest time is the two weeks before Christmas. Starting the week of December 5, customer traffic is expected to increase, with the week of December 11–17 predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping, and delivery week.
The Postal Service anticipates December 18 will be the busiest day online. Nearly 149 million customers are expected to visit usps.com during the holidays — more than 4 million per day — for help shipping that special holiday gift. And usps.com is always open.
The Click-N-Ship feature (usps.com/ship/online-shipping.htm) and other online services allow customers to order free Priority Mail boxes*, print shipping labels, purchase postage, and even request free next-day Package Pickup**.
A temporary price increase was approved and is in effect on all retail and commercial domestic competitive parcels: PME, PM, FCPS, Parcel Select, USPS Retail Ground, and Parcel Return Service. International products are unaffected. The temporary rates went into effect October 2, 2022, at 12 a.m. Central and remain in place until January 22, 2023, at 12 a.m. Central. For more information, visit about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0810-usps-announces-proposed-temporary-rate-adjustments.htm.
Effective June 6, packages containing hazardous materials — in particular, lithium-ion batteries — must now be mailed by surface transportation using Parcel Select Ground or USPS Retail Ground, Parcel Return Service or Ground Return Service. The Postal Service issued the new requirements for shipping used electronics and other hazardous materials because items of this nature can cause fires and other dangers to mailers, air carriers, aircraft passengers, and others.
Mailers must now separate all material requiring hazardous markings or labels to be identifiable. To ensure visibility, these packages must be marked “Restricted Electronic Device” and “Surface Transportation Only,” in addition to any other applicable markings. Customers are not allowed to use Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, or First-Class Package Service to ship pre-owned, damaged, or defective electronic devices — such as cellphones, laptops, or tablets that contain or are packed with lithium batteries — by air.
Customers can find detailed information about common hazardous, restricted, and perishable materials in Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail at pe.usps.com/text/pub52/welcome.htm.
The Postal Service will have an expanded package delivery window — including early evening and Sundays, where volume warrants. We have also expanded operational capacity with new equipment and hiring:
n 28,000 peak season hires beginning in October 2022.
n 137 additional package processing machines deployed before the holidays this year.
n Total of 249 new machines since the beginning of 2021.
n 60 million total packages processed daily this holiday season, compared to 53 million last year.
n 23 temporary peak annexes, in addition to the 48 parcel support annexes opened last year, which adds 8.5 million additional square feet to support processing and distribution operations.
Retail Gifts
Whether customers forget to add someone to their holiday lists or need to find a gift for that special someone, the Postal Service has them covered. In select Post Office locations, customers can buy greeting cards, gift cards, and postage, and mail their gifts all in one place.
Find the perfect gift online at store.usps.com/store/results/gifts/_/N-nnxamr?_requestid=15338 and at retail locations to make gift giving easy this season. Find your local Post Office location with our online locator at tools.usps.com/find-location.htm.
Custom Solutions for Sending Holiday Packages
The Postal Service is uniquely qualified to deliver the holidays by offering a variety of custom solutions designed to make sending holiday packages easy:
n For safety reasons, effective June 6, packages containing hazardous materials — in particular, lithium-ion batteries — must now be mailed by surface transportation using Parcel Select Ground or USPS Retail Ground, Parcel Return Service or Ground Return Service. Customers are not allowed to use Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, or First-Class Package Service to ship pre-owned, damaged, or defective electronic devices — such as cellphones, laptops, or tablets that either contain or are packed with lithium batteries — by air. Customers can find detailed information about common hazardous, restricted, and perishable materials in Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail at pe.usps.com/text/pub52/welcome.htm.
n Packages that have stamps as postage and are more than one-half inch thick and/or weighing more than 10 ounces must be taken to a retail counter for drop off. Alternatively, customers can use a self-service kiosk for a postage label and drop off the package in a Post Office package slot, not a mail slot.
n Get free Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes and envelopes in Post Office locations or online at usps.com/freeboxes.
n Skip the line and use self-service kiosks located in larger Post Office locations to weigh, pay postage, and deposit your packages.
n Use the Click-N-Ship feature online at usps.com/ship/online-shipping.htm to create shipping labels with USPS Tracking®, pay postage, or use flat rate shipping products to avoid weighing packages.
n With free Package Pickup, your package can be handed to your mail carrier on his or her regular delivery route or you can schedule a pickup. For details on availability, visit usps.com/pickup.
n Take your packages to the retail counter at any Post Office.
Custom Solutions to Help with Receiving Holiday Packages
The Postal Service also offers a variety of custom solutions designed to make receiving holiday packages more convenient:
n Informed Delivery® notifications (informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action) is a free, daily digital preview of what’s coming to your mailbox. You can see what mail is coming to your mailbox, manage your packages by providing delivery instructions, reschedule delivery online, and see some exterior images of magazines and catalogs — all from your mobile app, dashboard, tablet, or computer.
n Customers can also request the package be held at a Post Office by choosing the Hold for Pickup option in the Informed Delivery app or online at reg.usps.com/login?.
n Customers who know they won’t be home when a package is delivered can use USPS Package Intercept® service (usps.com/manage/package-intercept.htm). Before delivery, most domestic package shipments can be redirected back to the sender, to a new address (a neighbor, perhaps), or to a Post Office to be held for pickup.
Help Customers Avoid a Shipping Glitch
There are a number of things that customers can do to ensure their holiday mail gets delivered safely and correctly:
n Print addresses clearly and include all address elements, such as apartment number, PO Box number, and directional information as applicable (e.g., 123 S Main St., Apt. 2B).
n Don’t send materials that are prohibited, such as fireworks or ammunition. Hazardous materials, such as perfumes, aerosols, or lithium batteries, are mailable with restrictions. For more information, visit pe.usps.com.
n Items powered by dry-cell batteries may sometimes turn on during handling and emit light, buzzes, beeps, or ticks. Please ensure the device is powered off or package batteries separately (preferably in the original manufacturer’s packaging). Specific packaging requirements apply to lithium batteries. See Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Mail at pe.usps.com/text/ pub52/welcome.htm.
n Place a card inside the package that contains the delivery and return address. This ensures the package can be delivered or returned if the mailing label becomes damaged or falls off.
n Never guess a ZIP Code. No ZIP is better than a WRONG ZIP. Look up a ZIP Code at usps.com under “Quick Tools.”
n Include both “to” and “from” information on packages and only on one side.
n Do NOT reuse mailing boxes — they weaken in the shipping process.
n Select a box that is strong enough to protect the contents. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes are free at local Post Office locations.
n Leave space for extra cushioning inside. Stuff glass and fragile, hollow items, like vases, with newspaper or packing material to avoid damage. When mailing framed photographs, take the glass out of the frame and wrap it separately.
How to Have Unhappy Holidays
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service shared these tips on what not to do to ensure your packages and mail are kept safe during the holidays and all year long.
1. Get swindled. Don’t do your homework. Scammers use bogus charities and underhanded tactics to fraudulently take money from you and away from legitimate charities. Before you donate, check out the charity and look carefully at the name — some phony charities have names closely resembling legitimate ones. Be sure to make your check payable to the organization and not to an individual. And don’t let them pressure you to give money on the spot.
2. Advertise your vacation. Let your mail pile up. A visible pile of delivered mail and packages in front of your home is an invitation for the bad guys to help themselves. If you will be out of town or away for an extended period, have your mail held at your local Post Office. Use the HOLD MAIL® feature at usps.com or choose the HOLD FOR PICKUP option when shipping. That allows the recipient to collect the package at their local Post Office when they get back home.
3. Give away cash. Be cavalier with cash. Cash is untraceable. It’s easy to steal, making it a tempting target for thieves. Send money another way, such as with a check or USPS money order. If you decide to mail other valuables, make sure they are insured. You can track a letter or package through the Postal Service and know when it arrives.
4. Start a fire. Remain ignorant of mailing requirements. Sending hazardous items can spark a fire in the mail system or cause someone harm. Certain items and substances should never be mailed. Check to see if your items are prohibited or restricted before going to your local Post Office location or by consulting our shipping restrictions guide at usps.com/ship/shipping-restrictions.htm.
5. Neighborhood (un)watch. Adopt a none-of-my-business attitude. Large volumes of mail and packages make Postal Service employees tempting targets for crooks. Keep an eye out for the safety of your mail carriers. The holidays will quickly become unhappy if you see your carrier being robbed, especially if you don’t say something. If you see something suspicious or someone following your carrier, call the police immediately.
6. Ignore your doors. If you don’t keep an eye on your door and porch, you can be sure the bad guys will. When no one is watching, it is easier for thieves to steal from the porch or even enter your house. If you have a camera system, make sure it’s focused on capturing activity at your front door or mailbox. If you catch mail thieves in the act, save the video and contact the Inspection Service at 877-876-2455.
7. Keep secrets. When you do not report a mail theft or fraud, the crook gets away with a crime. Mail crimes are serious, and reporting it is as easy as a phone call. Don’t keep it a secret. Call 877-876-2455. You can also report mail crime at uspis.gov/report.
8. Mess with the mail. If you’re thinking about tampering with or stealing someone’s mail and making their holiday unhappy, don’t. Theft of mail is a federal crime and could land you in jail. Don’t steal and everyone can have a happy holiday.
Social Media Posts
Consumers can also find more information and interact with us via our social media pages:
n Facebook (facebook.com/usps).
n Twitter (twitter.com/usps).
n Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice).
n Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps).
n LinkedIn (linkedin.com).
Subscribing to the USPS YouTube Channel (youtube.com/user/uspstv/custom) will help consumers see new tools the Postal Service is offering to help make mailing and shipping easier, “how to” videos (youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1NEtJgO49CVxEQebq6rvJkRE5UXeI2pM), and more.
2022 Holiday Information
Holiday Advertising Campaign
The Postal Service’s 2022 holiday campaign features direct mail, TV, radio, print, digital, and social media promotions highlighting the organization’s proud tradition of delivering cheer and value to consumers and businesses.
The first of several TV spots began airing in November and can be viewed on the Postal Service YouTube channel, USPS TV (youtube.com/user/uspstv/custom). A direct mailpiece with information customers need to know for the holidays will be mailed to more than 100 million homes by Thanksgiving.
Holiday Operating Hours
This year, Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on a Sunday when Post Office locations nationwide are already closed. As a result, all Post Office locations will be closed for the observation of both federal holidays on Monday, December 26, 2022, and Monday, January 2, 2023, respectively. All Post Office locations will be open for business and regular mail delivery will resume after the holidays on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, and Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
Customers should always check with their local Post Office location for hours of operation. As a reminder, blue collection boxes are not serviced on Sundays.
Holiday Newsroom
Customers can find news releases, shipping deadlines, fact sheets, how-to videos, USPS Operation Santa®, and much more by visiting the holiday newsroom at about.usps.com/ holidaynews.
Holiday Hiring
The Postal Service will be hiring seasonal employees across the country to meet operational needs and the needs of our customers. Hiring decisions are made at a local level. Instead of just hiring seasonally, the Postal Service is focusing its resources on actively hiring year-round.
Employee Tipping
All Postal Service employees, including mail carriers, must comply with the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. Under these federal regulations, carriers may accept a gift worth $20 or less (this includes store, restaurant, or mall gift cards). However, employees must never accept cash and cash equivalents, such as checks or gift cards that can be used like credit cards (with Visa, MasterCard, or American Express logos) for any amount.
Carriers and Dogs
The Postal Service asks customers to place their dogs in a separate room before opening the front door to accept packages from carriers. Dogs are protective in nature and have been known to jump through screen doors and squeeze through door openings. More than 5,800 carriers were attacked by dogs last year. We want everyone to get home safely each day.
USPS Operation Santa
The USPS Operation Santa® program turns 110 years old this year! The program was established by the Postal Service to help families and children in need during the holidays. To participate as a potential recipient in USPS Operation Santa, all you have to do is write a letter, put it in a stamped envelope with a return address, and send it to Santa’s official workshop address:
SANTA CLAUS
123 ELF ROAD
NORTH POLE
88888
Letters will be accepted through December 12, 2022.
Registration to adopt letters began November 14. For security reasons, potential adopters must be vetted through a short registration and ID verification process before they can adopt any letter.
On November 28, letters will be available for nationwide adoption by visiting USPSOperationSanta.com. Potential adopters can read the letters and pick one or more wishes that they would like to fulfill.
National Postmarks
All First-Class Mail® postage stamps will be postmarked with one of these images from November 26, 2022, through December 30, 2022.
Get the North Pole Postmark on Your Holiday Greetings
To help friends and family get into the holiday spirit, the Postal Service offers the opportunity for you to get a North Pole Postmark on all your holiday greetings. Follow these simple steps:
1. Personalize greeting cards as usual and insert them into envelopes.
2. Address and apply the appropriate postage (such as any one of the seasonal Forever® stamps) to each envelope.
3. Put all of the stamped envelopes in a larger envelope or a Priority Mail Box.
4. Affix appropriate postage on the larger envelope or box and take to a Post Office location for mailing.
5. We recommend having your greetings in the mail by December 2. This will help ensure that the cards and letters can be received in Anchorage, AK, in time to postmark the stamp and get them back in the mailstream by December 25. If customers miss the December 2 deadline, use Priority Mail Express and send cards to:
NORTH POLE POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE, AK 99530-9998
Get an “Official” Letter from Santa for Your Children
Note: Getting a letter from Santa is not the same as USPS Operation Santa.
Help children receive written responses from the big guy at the North Pole. Follow these simple steps to get a letter from Santa complete with a North Pole Postmark.
1. Have your child write a letter to Santa.
2. Later, when alone, write a personalized response to the child. Don’t forget to sign it from Santa!
3. Insert both letters into an envelope and address it to the child.
4. Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope in the upper left corner.
5. Affix a First-Class Mail stamp to the upper right corner of the envelope.
6. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope, also with appropriate postage, and address it to:
NORTH POLE POSTMARK
POSTMASTER
4141 POSTMARK DR
ANCHORAGE, AK 99530-9998
To ensure cards and letters are received in Anchorage, AK, in time to postmark the stamp for receipt by December 25, the recommended mail-by date is December 2.
— Public Relations,
Corporate Communications, 11-17-22
